DEFRA was faced with London building closures and the sheer complexity of managing hundreds of thousands of files. They outsourced their document storage and access to Iron Mountain with extra security for documents in transit

Most enterprises have a basic understanding of the importance of a records retention schedule. They know that this schedule defines the organisation's legal and compliance requirements when it comes to accessing, retaining and disposing of the records. Furthermore, they understand that a solid retention schedule reduces storage volume, costs and the risks of data breach exposure. However, organisations must go beyond on the basics and fully understand the types of legal requirements involved in a retention schedule and make sure they have been thoroughly analysed.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. If this was true, grappling with the challenges of creating and maintaining up-to-date records retention schedules should have turned your business into the world's largest, most powerful organisation by now.Taking on your records retention challenges doesn't have to be a struggle. Once you create and maintain retention schedules based on relevant regulations, you can reduce the number of records you store, save space and mitigate the risk exposures of data breaches. But first you have to tease out potential stumbling blocks.

Having got your records management and digitisation programmes in order, you are well placed to search and analyse your information, harnessing the accumulated knowledge to enhance innovation, decision making and customer service.

You are ready to introduce added levels of sophistication to your information management programme. You need to think about implementing solutions to deal with new information coming in to your organisation every day.

It’s time to transform how you handle ‘living’ documents across the business. People keep information close to hand because they want to refer to it regularly or get to it quickly. Storing active documents in cabinets and desks across the office isn’t the best way to protect and access critical documents.

This guide demonstrates how a records management programme can lead to better security, reduced costs, more storage space and improved access to information. Case studies and practical tips help you on your way.

Our second video in the Information Economics series explores the problem of information access and the potential for digital solutions. If you’re still doing business at the speed of paper, this video will give you reasons to change.